Hair curling device



March 14, 1939. H. B. HOBBS HAIR CURLING DEVICE Filed July 25, 1938 I Y INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UN D STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,150,504 Ham enRLINo DEVICE arold B. Hobbs, Omaha, Nebr. Applicatien July 1938, Serial 221,106

5 Claims. (01. 13236) My invention relates to hair treating devices and particularly those used in the proc'essc'ommonly known as permanent waving.

One of the objects of my invention is the pro- 5 vision of a new and improved insulating guard which is easy to handle and relatively'inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is the provision of a new and improved insulating guard for use in permanent waving operations which can be quickly and readily applied to a hair'curling spindle after the hairhas been wound upon it and which can as quickly and readily be removed therefrom as soon as the curling operation is finished.

Still another object is'the provision of a. new

and improved insulating guard for usein permanent waving operations and particularly'those making use of the so-called machineless pad, which is so arranged that" the guard can be applied to the hair curling spindle after the hair has been wound thereon leaving an opening into which the machineless pad can be'ins-erted trom the outside and packed around thespindle for the heating operation, there being pr 'ovideda new and improved hinging means for the guard which permits it to be removed in a'single operation a y ing with it the machineless pad.

It is furthermore an object to so construct such a hinging as to permit the guard to be pivoted to an extreme open position, thereby to readily release a used machineless pad previously" i serted therein.

A still further object is the provision of a guard fora machineless pad which "is designed to fit permanent waving devices oi any manufacture and particularly those designed ior theprodu'c tion of what is known as a Crnquignole wave, and which is made of parts so pivoted together that the guard is additionally pressed into place after a moistened pad inserted therein begins to swell,

it being unnecessary to provide any other means for clamping the guard in place upon the perma: nent wave device.

' Among other contemplated objects of my device is to provide a moisture trough for the guard to prevent any heated moisture from dripping onto the scalp from the machineless pad.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various partsfo'i meg;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device mounted upon a hair curling clamp.

Figure 2 is a side elevationof my device mounted on a hair curling clamp drawn to a smallerscale and partially sectioned to show the interior.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 3:3 of Figure 2 drawn to a slightly larger scale.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 with the guard open for removal.

Figure 5 is a right end view of my device mounted on a hair curling clamp.

In the production of permanent waves by use of a clamp and a curling rod which is used for winding the hair into a curl, it is always necessary after the hair has been wound on therod to treat it in some manner, as by the application of certain solutions and heat,' in order that the hair may retain itscurl after it has been unwound from the rod and released from the clamp. In some instances, electrical heating devices have been used. More recently there "has been devised what is commonly known asthe machineless pad, which is a pad ofblotter-like material such as chemically treated paper or cloth which upon being moistened," produces considerable heat. These p'ads have been somewhat widely used, particularly in view of'the fact that they can be applied at any time and in any place and need only a box-like receptacle of one sort or another to hold them in place around the hair when it is coiled about a curling rod.

Precautions must 'be' taken, however, in the use of a machineless pad since thechemical which reacts with water producing heat undergoes a rather violent reaction during the process and heats up to such an extent that the moisture itself is sometimes turned to steam. When'this occurs there is the ever present danger of steam or sca1ding water dripping from the pad onto the scalp causing severe burns to the person undergoing treatment. Likewise, the excessive heat from the pad heats up the apparatus itself to such a temperature that it is quite likely to burn the fingers of the operator when it is removed.

These two circumstances make it necessary to provide some means for removing the machineless pad quickly and efliciently in case the person being treated should be burned, and it is furthermore essential to design a guard for the pad in such a manner that the operator herself can remove it quickly without burning her fingers, Unless the removal is made easy, not only will a burn be more severe, but the s'calp a t the burn is quite likely to be torn by the clumsy handlin of a hot device through pulling the hair in a hurry to get it loose.

These precautions have been taken carefully into consideration in the design and construction of my device, the purpose of which is to provide a guard which acts also as an insulator and drip deflector as well as being one which can be removed from the device by a single quick motion of the hand.

In the drawing the character A has been shown to indicate the guard, and the character B to indicate a hair curling clamp of conventional design.

The clamp, as is customary in devices of this sort, is made up of a pair of clamp arms 50 which are hinged together by a pin l2 at one end and provided at the other end with a hook it and locking pin it for holding them in place. The clamp arms are provided each with an insulating pad E8 of rubber or some similar material to insulate the device from the scalp and to provide a cushion for it when placed upon the scalp. A hair curling rod 20 operates with the clamp arms and is mounted thereon, at one end in a recess 22 provided on an upstanding bracket 24 and at the other end upon a similar bracket 26. A handle 28 is provided for the rod for rotating it when the hair is curled upon it and there is additionally provided some means for locking the rod in a rotated positionsuch as a rachet wheel 3|] and pawl 32.

The guard A is comprised of a pair of identical members 48 having lateral faces A2 forming the side walls of the guard, the tops of which are bent over into the form of a reenforcing bead 44 to give rigidity to the structure. The members are provided with base elements d6 forming a bottom for the guard. These are attached at their outside edges to the lower edges of the lateral faces. Element 46 is furthermore provided with an up ward turned lip 48 at the inside edge, which forms a moisture trough for preventing hot moisture from dripping onto the scalp.

Each of the members are provided with oppo site identical end elements 50 which are pivoted together by means of a rivet 52. The end elements are curved upward at the points 54 in order that they may snugly surround a hair curling rod when placed in position.

In the operation of my device a quantity of hair 56 is first grasped by the operator and wound around a hair curling rod 22 into a coil such as that shown in Figures 3 and 4. After the hair has been wound on the rod the clamping devices I!) are fastened in place at the end. Then the rod is positioned upon the brackets 24 and 26 and there clamped in place by the rachet device. Although there. are many devices on the market for accomplishing this operation the method shown in the drawing is reasonably representative of the general idea.

After the hair has been curled upon the rod,

the guard comprising my invention is snapped into place in a position shown particularly in Figures 1, 3 and 5 wherein the side faces 32 form sides of a box-like enclosure and the bottom elements reach underneath the coil of hair and there are pressed into place by the resiliency of the coil of hair, holding them in contact with the upper face of the clamp arms l5. The guard is thus lightly and securely held in position upon the hair curling device.

By reason of placing the pivoting rivets 52 at the ends of the guard there is provided an unobstructed open top for the box-like receptacle and this readily permits the operator to insert a machineless pad 58 into the top of the guard. Machineless pads of this character, of a cellulosic or blotter-like material, are somewhat pliable and are moistened before being inserted into the guard around the coil of hair. Since the pads are customarily made somewhat over-size they need be squeezed and pressed into the space formed between the sides of the box-like receptacle and the coil of hair'and pressed into intimate contact with the coil of hair. In the present instance, the pad is pressed well around the bottom of the coil also until it is in contact or nearly in contact with the upward extending lips 48 of the bottom elements 46.

When in this position, as the moisture continues to be soaked into the pad, the pad itself expands and more or less completely fills the space within the box-like receptacle formed by the guard A. As the pad continues to press on the outer faces 42 forming the side walls of the uard the maximum amount of thrust occurs at a point adjacent or slightly'above the center line of the pivoting rivets 52, and this additional thrust of the swelling pad serves to additionally secure the guard in its clamped position upon the device.

When the heating process has run its course or perhaps in case the individual should be burned for any reason, the pad must be removed, and in the latter case removed very quickly. In my device it is necessary only to pinch together the upper edges of the guard at a point adjacent the pads A l, which immediately spreads apart the bottom elements $6 a distance sufficient to withdraw the guard completely from the coil of hair.

By this same movement the lips d8 catch the lower edges of the machineless pad and spread it likewise outward into a position where it can be readily removed together with the guard from the coil of hair. A single motion is all that is necessary to break open the guard and remove it and the pad from the head of the person being treated. This can be done without removal of the hair curling apparatus and without danger of tearing the hair or scalp of the person being treated.

After the guard has been removed the machineless pad can be readily extracted therefrom by further opening the side members 48, in which position the pad 58 will drop out or can readily be pushed out. By opening the members of the guard to an extreme width it is a very simple matter to thoroughly clean and scrub the guard before each succeeding application.

There has thus been provided an insulating guard and pad holder for use with a machineless pad or other heating device which can be attached to the hair curling device after the hair has been curled and which can be quickly and readily removed therefrom before the device itself is removed from the head, there being further. provision of a guard of such a character that each can be placed upon a hair curling device individually, in'an open position, so that the heating means such as a machineless pad can be subsequently inserted thereinto.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A guard for a machineless pad used in hair curling comprising a pair of elongated members pivotally secured at the ends and adapted to be pivoted together forming a receptacle for hair curled on a spindle, said receptacle having the side thereof opposite the scalp open for insertion of the machineless pad, and the sides of the members adjacent the scalp forming a bottom provided with a slit which can be opened and closed by pivoting the members for admitting a quantity of hair to be curled.

2. A guard for a machineless pad used in hair curling comprising a pair of elongated members pivotally secured at the ends and adapted to be pivoted together forming a receptacle for hair curled on a spindle, said receptacle having the side thereof opposite the scalp open for insertion of a machineless pad and the sides of the elongated members adjacent the scalp forming a bottom with a slit therein for admitting a quantity of hair, and upward turned lips at the edges of the slit forming troughs to deflect from the scalp the flow of heated moisture from the pad.

3. In a hair curling device a guard for a machineless pad comprising a pair of cooperable side members each comprising a rigid side piece, a bottom element joined at its outside edge to the bottom edge of the side piece and a pair of end elements pivotally secured to corresponding end elements on the opposite guard and adapted to be pivoted into the form of an open box-like receptacle for reception of the pad when placed about a curling device and to be opened to remove the pad from the device at any time during the course of a curling operation.

4. In a hair curling device a guard for a machineless pad comprising a pair of cooperable side members each comprising a rigid side piece, a bottom element joined at its outside edge to the bottom edge of the side piece and a pair of end walls perforated at a point below the top edge, and pivotally secured to correspondingly perforated end walls on the opposite guard so that when a machineless pad is moistened and packed therein the pad, when swelling, will bear against the side pieces opposite the pivoted portion thereby tending to anchor the guard in place, said guard being adapted to be manually pivoted to open position to quickly remove the pad from the device.

5. In a hair curling device a guard for a machineless pad comprising a pair of cooperable side members each comprising a rigid side piece, a bottom element joined at its outside edge to the bottom edge of the side piece including a turned up lip serving as a drip guard to prevent hot moisture from coming into contact with the scalp and as a catch for the pad, and a pair of end elements perforated at a point below the top edge and pivotally secured to correspondingly perforated end elements on the opposite guard so that when a machineless pad is moistened and packed therein the pad, when swelling, will bear against the side pieces opposite the pivoted portion thereby anchoring the guard in place, said guard being adapted to be manually pivoted to open position to quickly remove the pad from the device.

HAROLD B. HOBBS. 

